Pattern of Sin and Judgment
1 The angel of the LORD r went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, “I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land s I had promised to your fathers. t I also said: I will never break my covenant with you. 2 You are not to make a covenant u with the inhabitants of this land. You are to tear down their altars. v But you have not obeyed me. What is this you have done? 3 Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. w They will be thorns G,H in your sides, x and their gods will be a trap for you.” y 4 When the angel of the LORD had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. 5 So they named that place Bochim I and offered sacrifices there to the LORD.
Joshua’s Death
6 Previously, when Joshua had sent the people away, the Israelites had gone to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. z 7 The people worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived J Joshua. They had seen all the LORD’S great works a he had done for Israel.
8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110. 9 They buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, b north of Mount Gaash. 10 That whole generation was also gathered to their ancestors. After them another generation rose up who did not know the LORD c or the works he had done for Israel.
11 The Israelites did what was evil in the LORD’S sight. d They worshiped the Baals e 12 and abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed other gods from the surrounding peoples f and bowed down to them. They angered the LORD, g 13 for they abandoned him and worshiped Baal and the Ashtoreths. h
14 The LORD’S anger burned against Israel, and he handed them over to marauders who raided them. He sold i them to K the enemies around them, and they could no longer resist their enemies. 15 Whenever the Israelites went out, the LORD L was against them j and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them. k So they suffered greatly.
16 The LORD raised up l judges, who saved them from the power of their marauders, 17 but they did not listen to their judges. Instead, they prostituted m themselves with other gods, bowing down to them. They quickly turned from the way n of their fathers, who had walked in obedience to the LORD’S commands. They did not do as their fathers did. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, the LORD was with o him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. M The LORD was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them. 19 Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly p than their fathers, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate q ways.
20 The LORD’S anger burned against Israel, and he declared, “Because this nation has violated my covenant r that I made with their fathers s and disobeyed me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left t when he died. u 22 I did this to test Israel and to see whether or not they would keep the LORD’S way v by walking in it, as their fathers had.” w 23 The LORD left these nations and did not drive them out immediately. He did not hand them over to Joshua.